Minerals of Altai. Mineral resources in the Altai region list
The eventful history of the formation of the earth's crust in different regions of the Altai mountainous country and the flat part of the region provided a variety of conditions for the formation of generous useful substances mineral resource deposits. Since ancient times, non-ferrous ores have been mined here. precious metals, building materials and semi-precious ornamental stones. It has long been famous for its healing radon and thermal waters, mud and Glauber’s salts.
The only place for extracting combustible minerals here is the Munai brown coal mine in the Soltonsky district near the village of interesting name Suzop. Here still in late XIX century, at a depth of fifty meters, two horizontally lying 10-meter layers of humus brown coal were discovered. Since Altai coal is 2 times inferior in calorific value to nearby Kuzbass coal hard coals, the field was practically not developed.
Experts estimate the industrial potential of the Munai deposit at 1 million tons of brown coal annually, but since the opening of the mine in 1988 and the start of development by the Novosibugol concern, more than 120 thousand tons have not been mined here. Previously, coal from the Munai deposit fully met the needs of 14 districts Altai Territory and energy needs of the Altai Republic.
In 2005, after changing several owners, mining here was carried out by Munaisky Razrez LLC, with owners in Kuzbass. From 2013 to 2015, the section was not developed. Later in 2016, the court declared the owner of Razrez Munaisky LLC, V. Pekarsky, bankrupt, and Rostekhnadzor declared the field completely mothballed.
Ore minerals
Polymetallic ores of Altai
Altai is a large mining base of the country, here, in accordance with its occurrence in earth's crust Based on the main geological structures, experts distinguish different ore zones. The main wealth of the local subsoil is polymetals in the industrial region, which is called Rudny Altai, cinnabar in the Katun anteclise, iron and tungsten-molybdenum in the Kholzun-Chuya anteclise, tin-copper and tungsten ores in the Kolbinsk geological zone.
Polymetals occur here in ancient Devonian volcanic rocks; copper-barite and lead-zinc pyrite layers of volcanic origin are genetically combined with them. The richest deposits of the Stepnoye and Korbalikhinskoye, Belousovskoye and Talovskoye, Nikolaevskoye and Berezovskoye deposits are very significant in the production of lead, copper and zinc ores. The deposits of the Ridder-Sokolny and Zyryanovsky deposits have become the most important for the extraction of zinc ores and lead compounds.
The polymetallic deposits of the Zolotushinsky and Zmeinogorsky deposits are quite complex in their composition, and at the same time contain silver and gold, compounds of copper and lead, zinc and other metals in the ore. Tungsten-molybdenum ores are mainly found in ancient volcanic rocks. Fewer of them are concentrated in limestone strata, which were cut by quartz veins containing rare earth metals, molybdenum, tungsten, copper and zinc compounds.
Cinnabar deposits belong to new tectonic faults of Cenozoic age. Among the explored manifestations of cinnabar were deposits in the valley of the high-mountain river Chuya - the Chagan-Uzunskoye and larger Aktashskoye deposits. In the north of the low Cherginsky ridge, the Sarasin mercury zone was recently discovered.
Iron ores of Altai
The territory contains high-quality iron ores. The main ones are Beloretskoye and large Inskoye in the Kholzunsky ridge with reserves of up to 500 million tons of high-quality ore with a share of useful iron of up to 50%. Rich iron ore deposits in the flat part are deposits near the village of Klyuchi, Kulunda station and Lake Kuchuk. Kulunda ores have a smaller share of useful iron, up to only 20%. There are iron ore deposits in the Chuisky ridge and Sailyugem, in the basins of the Charysh and Biya rivers. Salair contains high-quality copper ores, aluminum containing bauxite and magnesium.
Gold-bearing Altai
Gold has been mined here for a long time, it is even reflected in the name of this area; if you translate the ancient Turkic word “alt”, it literally means “gold”. In the 18th-19th centuries, the Altai mountains were the rightful possessions of the Demidov breeders. Silver and gold were smelted here in large quantities for the treasury. After the revolution industrial production it was never established, only small artels worked. For the needs of the Great Patriotic War Only high-quality placer gold was mined here.
Production was resumed by a few artels in the 80s and until 1993 it grew to 70 kg per year. In 1993, the number of artisanal artisans increased to 12, and gold mining increased to 135 kg per year. At the same time, geological exploration of gold-bearing ore fields is being carried out at the Murzinsky, Novofirsovsky and Topolinsky deposits.
Pedigree gold production in the Altai Mountains is carried out by the well-known enterprise OJSC Vesely Mine in the village of Seika. It has been developing the famous Sinyukhinskoye gold deposit since 1953. Sinyukhinsky ores are very rich in gold content and easy to process. They occur in garnet-wollastonite skarns to a depth of 500 meters. Every year, the mine produces up to 400-450 kg of high-quality, highly ductile gold.
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Hydromineral minerals
On the vast and arid Kulunda Plain, underground up to 1500 meters there is a large pool of artesian fresh water. When a freshwater basin was discovered, the Kulunda waters turned out to be quite suitable for industrial and domestic needs, which is very significant for this region.
Warm springs have long been known in the foothills; when a chemical analysis was carried out, it was found that a small amount of radioactive radon gas was dissolved in them. Today, an all-Russian mountain-climatic resort operates on the radon waters of Belokurikha. Associated with Cenozoic faults thermal waters Abakansky Arzhan, Dzhumalinsky and Rakhmanovsky springs.
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Non-metallic minerals
In Altai, construction and facing materials are mined everywhere. Deposits of various clays for making building bricks are practically unlimited here. Salair contains fire-resistant clays containing natural cement. The famous Azhinskoe deposit is located in the Biya basin; multi-colored clays occur here. At the station Golukha is the Agafonovskoe clay deposit with total reserves of up to 11 million tons.
For the production of glass and silicate building bricks, high-quality quartz sand is mined, as well as construction sand near Barnaul. In the Aleya, Biya and Katun basins sand and a sand-gravel mixture are mined. Limestone deposits in Altai are unlimited; for roasting it is mined near the city of Gorno-Altaisk (Tugainskoye), near Manzherok (Izvestkovy village).
The most valuable material is marble; Altai is famous in the country for its marbles. The marble here is fine-grained, easy to process, and comes in all sorts of shades from golden yellow to black. The valleys of the Chuya and the rivers flowing into it stretch for kilometers mountain ranges, composed of gray, purple and snow-white marble.
The Katun basin is famous for its deposits of snow-white, fawn, golden, blue and pink marbles. The underground metro station called “Taganskaya” in Moscow is lined with Oroktoy marbles, and the columns at the “Park Kultury i Otdykha” and “Avtozavodskaya” metro stations are processed with Pushtulim marbles. The Korgon marble deposit on Charysh is also famous. For the construction and cladding of durable building structures and monuments, there are large deposits of gneiss and granite.
Thick layers of gypsum lie on the Kulundinskaya plain near a salt lake reservoir called Dzhira. In the large Kuchukskoye and Kulundinskoye lakes there are deposits of natural mirabilite. The strong salty brine of the Kulunda lakes contains magnesium chloride and various bromine salts. At the bottom of Lake Kuchukskoe, deposits of sodium chloride are estimated by experts at 56 million tons, at the bottom of Lake Burlinskoye up to 30 million tons.
The salty Mikhailovskoye Lake and the Petukhovsky Lakes, quite famous in the region, have large reserves of natural soda, mirabilite and table salt. In terms of the amount of mirabilite and natural soda, Altai ranks 1st in the world, up to 96% of all reserves of the entire country. In lakes Kuchukskoye and Bolshoye Yarovoye there are medicinal muds with remarkable properties; a popular health resort operates on their basis.
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Gemstone fossils
A lot of semi-precious and semi-precious stones are mined in the Altai Mountains. In the village of Kolyvan, at the foot of the Kolyvan ridge and mountain, a stone-cutting grinding plant has been located and has been operating since 1802. Vases and stone panels, bowls and balls, floor lamps and cameos produced in Kolyvan today decorate the exquisite halls of various palaces and museums in Russia and many foreign countries. The Colossal Cup or “Queen of Vases,” weighing 11 tons, is kept today in the city of St. Petersburg in one of the halls of the Hermitage.
Altai stones have high decorative properties. The famous Beloretskoye deposit, where high-quality quartzites are mined, and the Revnevskoye deposit of mainly green, but also other multi-colored striped jasper, are very famous in the country. Multi-colored ornamental Altai stones, jasper, porphyry, quartzite and porphyrite are mined in the Tigiretsky, Korgonsky and Kolyvansky ridges. Carnelians, opals, chalcedony and rock crystal are found in the mountains. Salair is home to graphite and graphite shales.
The Altai Republic has a variety of mineral resources. These are coal, iron, gold, silver, cobalt, bismuth, wollastonite, mercury, molybdenum, tungsten, lithium, tantalum, antimony, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, tin, and Construction Materials. The subsoil of the Altai Republic is rich in ores of various metals, and primarily in iron ores, the deposits of which are located on the Kholzun and Sailyugem ridges. Mercury ores are of great industrial importance. These are the Aktashskoye and Chagan-Uzunskoye fields. The Karakul Khoshkhvehgmov deposit of cobalt and bismuth has very large reserves of these metals. The largest deposit of primary skarn gold is located in Sinyukhinskoye. ore field. The gold mining industry is promising for the sustainable development of the Altai Republic. Deposits and manifestations of wollastonite are widely developed in the Altai Mountains. Due to its unique properties, wollastonite is widely used in various industries: ceramics, electric welding, medical equipment and materials, radio electronics.
The Ozernoye and Pogranichnoye silver deposits are concentrated in the southeast of the Altai Mountains and, together with the Mongolian Legat deposit, form a single ore-bearing structure. Deposits of molybdenum and tungsten are widespread in the western and southeastern parts of the Altai Mountains. The Kalgutinskoe molybdenum-tungsten deposit with explored reserves and a partially prepared ore mining system is of industrial interest - A large Yatm deposit with associated tantalum is represented by the Alakha stock. The deposit is unique in its origin. Among the energy resources, the most famous are the deposits of black coal - Kuraiskoye and Pyzhinskoye, brown coal in the vicinity of the village. Chagan-Uzun. Gorny Altai is the second region in the world for the richness of jasper deposits. There are about 300 varieties here. "There is no other area in the world in which there would be concentrated decorative stones such varied colors" -
wrote academician A. E. Fersman, who visited Altai in 1916. The most unique ones are grey-violet, white, black and red jaspers. Jasper from the Altai Mountains is used both in jewelry and as a facing material. Among other stones, aquamarines should be noted. There are numerous deposits of facing stones. Special meaning represents the Oroktoy marble deposit. Among granites, granites from the Yustyd massif have good decorative properties. Building materials - limestone, clay, sand - are widespread in the Altai Mountains and can be used depending on local needs. Easily accessible limestone deposits in the Ust-Koksinsky region can support the production of Portland cement by local enterprises.
Calcareous sands and brown coals of the Taldy-Dyurgun deposit in the Kosh-Agach region of Moscow State University1 are used to neutralize acidic and ultra-acidic soils of agricultural lands in the North-Western and Western Altai. Taldy-Dyurgunskie Raw coals are excellent raw materials for obtaining natural organic fertilizers, rich in humus components.
The Zmeinogorskoye and Zolotushinskoye deposits of polymetals are known, which have ores complex composition and contain copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold. Tungsten-molybdenum deposits are found in crystalline rocks. Sometimes they are located in limestones cut by quartz veins with a variety of components consisting of tungsten, zinc, copper and rare metals.
Mercury deposits are confined to faults of the Alpine mountain building era. The main deposits of cinnabar (mercury ore) are located in the valley of the river. Chui - Aktash and Chagan-Uzun. In the northern part of the Cherginsky ridge, the Sarasinskaya mercury zone has been discovered.
There are several deposits in Altai iron ores. The main ones are located in the Kholzunsky ridge area - Inskoye and Beloretskoye with reserves of approximately 500 million tons magnetite ore with iron content from 30 to 50%. In the Kulundinskaya steppe, iron ores are located near Lake Kuchuk, st. Kulunda and s. Keys. Kulunda ores contain up to 20% iron. Iron ore deposits were found in the Sailyugem and Chuisky ridges, in the middle reaches of Charysh and Biya.
Deposits of bauxite and copper ore. At the junction Altai mountains and Salair, magnesium ores fly in.
Lakes Kuchukskoye and Bolshoye Yarovoe have healing mud. Found in the foothills of Altai radioactive sources, the Belokurikha radon waters, on the basis of which the resort operates, are especially widely known.
In the Kulundinskaya lowland, at a depth of 1200-1400 m, there are fresh and mineral underground waters. Fresh waters suitable for household and technical purposes, which has important for arid Kulunda.
In the Kulundinskaya lowland there are more salt lakes than fresh ones, some of them are located on the Priobsky plateau. In Kuchuksky, Kulundknsky, Marmyshansky there is mirabilite - sodium sulfate). The brine of the Kuchuk and Bolshoy Yarovoe lakes contains magnesium chloride and bromine salts. The reserves of table salt in Lake Kuchuk amount to 56.8 million tons; in Burlinsky - 30 million tons . Mikhailovskoye, Tanatar 1, Petukhovskie Lakes contain soda, table salt, and mirabilite. General reserves natural soda in the region - more than 6 million tons , which is approximately 96% of Russia's reserves (first place in the world). The region ranks first in Russia in terms of mirabilite reserves. Mirabilite is contained in the brine of Lake Kuchuk and lies in it in a layer up to three meters thick.
Construction material is available in almost all regions of the region. Clay reserves for brick production are unlimited. In the middle reaches of the Biya there is the Azhinskoe deposit of multi-colored coloring clays - red, blue, yellow, gray and other colors. Mineral paints are made from them. Cement refractory clays are located on western slopes Salaira. Large Vrublevo-Agafonovskoye field in the area of the station. Golukha has reserves of up to 35 million tons limestone and 11 million tons clay.
Widespread in the Altai Territory different kinds sand Quartz sands are used for the production of silicate bricks; glass is obtained from pure quartz sands. Construction sand deposits are located near Barnaul and Kamen-on-Obi. Sand-gravel mixtures are found in the Biya and Katun valleys, in upper reaches of Alei.
Limestone is the most important building material. Their reserves in the region are practically inexhaustible. Large deposits of limestone for roasting are Tugainskoye (Gorno-Altaisk) and Manzherokskoye.
Marble is a valuable decorative building material. Along the Chui Valley, ridges stretch for tens of kilometers, the main rock of which is white, purple and gray marble. In the Oroktoy deposit (the middle reaches of the Katun), marble is of several colors and shades: fawn and snow-white marbles give way to pink and golden ones. The Taganskaya station of the Moscow Metro is lined with Oroktoy marble, and the columns of the Park of Culture and Rest station are lined with Pashtulim marble. The Pushtulim deposit is located in Salair. Korgon marble is known from Charysh.
Jasper, quartzite, porphyry and other ornamental stones, multi-colored and high-quality, are found in the Kolyvan, Tigiretsky, Korgon and other ranges of northwestern Altai. Opals, chalcedony, and rock crystal are often found. There are vulture shales in the Altai Mountains, and graphite in Salair.
Gneisses and gypsum are used as building materials. The main deposit of gypsum is near Lake Dzhira in the Kulunda steppe.
There are significant reserves of granite, which is used in the construction of durable structures; it polishes well and is therefore used for cladding buildings and monuments.
Mining in Altai region
MBOU "Novoobintsevskaya Secondary School"
Primary school teacher
Kavylina N.V.
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Brown coal
The state balance takes into account the reserves of the Munai deposit - 8.7 million tons of coal ]
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The depths of Altai are rich in minerals.
The Zmeinogorskoye and Zolotushinskoye deposits are known polymetals which have ores of complex composition and contain copper, lead, zinc, silver, and gold. Tungsten-molybdenum deposits are found in crystalline rocks. Sometimes they are located in limestones, cut by quartz veins with a variety of components consisting of wolf
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Confined to faults of the Alpine era of mountain building. The main deposits of cinnabar (mercury ore) are located in the valley of the river. Chewie- Aktash and Chagan-Uzun. In the northern part of the Cherginsky ridge, the Sarasinskaya mercury zone has been discovered.
There are several deposits in Altai iron ores. The main ones are located in the Kholzunsky ridge area - Inskoye and Beloretskoye with reserves of approximately 500 million tons magnetite ore with iron content from 30 to 50%. In the Kulundinskaya steppe, iron ores are located near Lake Kuchuk, st. Kulunda and s. Keys. Kulunda ores contain up to 20% iron. Iron ore deposits were found in the Sailyugem and Chuisky ridges, in the middle reaches of Charysh and Biya.
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Deposits were discovered on the western slopes of the Salair Ridge bauxite And copper ore. Ores fly in at the junction of the Altai Mountains and Salair magnesium .
In lakes Kuchukskoye and Bolshoye Yarovoye there are healing mud. Radioactive sources have been found in the foothills of Altai, the Belokurikha ones are especially widely known. radon waters, on the basis of which it operates resort .
In the Kulundinskaya lowland, at a depth of 1200-1400 m, there are fresh and mineral underground waters. Fresh water is suitable for domestic and technical purposes, which is important for the arid Kulunda.
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In the Kulundinskaya lowland there are more salt lakes than fresh ones, some of them are located on the Priobsky plateau. In Kuchuksky, Kulundknsky, Marmyshansky there is mirabilite- sodium sulfate). The brine of the Kuchuksky and Bolshoy Yarovoye lakes contains magnesium chloride , bromine salts. The reserves of table salt in Lake Kuchuk amount to 56.8 million tons; in Burlinsky - 30 million tons . In Mikhailovskoye, Tanatar 1, in Petukhovsky Lakes there is soda , salt, mirabilite. The total reserves of natural soda in the region are more than 6 million tons , which is approximately 96% of Russia's reserves (first place in the world). The region ranks first in Russia in terms of mirabilite reserves. Mirabilite is contained in the brine of Lake Kuchuk and lies in it in a layer up to three meters thick.
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Construction material is available in almost all regions of the region. Reserves clay for brick production are unlimited. In the middle reaches of the Biya there is the Azhinskoe deposit of multi-colored coloring clays - red, blue, yellow, gray and other colors. Mineral paints are made from them. Cement refractory clays are located on the western slopes of Salair. Large Vrublevo-Agafonovskoye field in the area of the station. Golukha has reserves of up to 35 million tons limestone and 11 million tons clay.
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Various types of sand are widespread in the Altai Territory. Quartz sands used for the production of sand-lime bricks; glass is obtained from pure quartz sand. Place of Birth construction sands located near Barnaul, Kamen-on-Obi. Sand-gravel mixtures are found in the Biya and Katun valleys, in upper reaches of Alei.
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Limestones- the most important building material. Their reserves in the region are practically inexhaustible. Large deposits of limestone for roasting are Tugainskoye (Gorno-Altaisk) and Manzherokskoye.
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Marble- valuable decorative building material. Along the Chui Valley, ridges stretch for tens of kilometers, the main rock of which is white, purple and gray marble. In the Oroktoy deposit (the middle reaches of the Katun), marble is of several colors and shades: fawn and snow-white marbles give way to pink and golden ones. The Taganskaya station of the Moscow Metro is lined with Oroktoy marble, and the columns of the Park of Culture and Rest station are lined with Pashtulim marble. The Pushtulim deposit is located in Salair. Korgon marble is known from Charysh.
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Gneisses And gypsum are used as building materials. The main deposit of gypsum is near Lake Dzhira in the Kulunda steppe.
Significant reserves granite, which is used in the construction of durable structures; it polishes well and is therefore used for cladding buildings and monuments.
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Altai Territory is one of the main mining regions of the country. Known here various types minerals: polymetallic ores, iron, bauxite, mineral salts, cement and building limestones, brick and tile raw materials, sand-gravel-pebble material, facing and ornamental stones.
Raw materials for non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy
Polymetallic ores. They are concentrated mainly in Rudny Altai, which, together with its Kazakh part, is a large province of polymetallic ores. The Zmeinogorsk, Zolotushinsky and Rubtsovsky ore districts are distinguished. Further development In the region, the industry for the extraction of polymetallic ores is associated with the development of the Zarechenskoye, Korbalikhinskoye, Srednego, Stepnoye, Mayskoye and Novozolotushinskoye deposits.
Iron ores. Their deposits in the region form the Altai iron ore province. The Inskoye and Beloretskoye fields are of greatest practical interest. Ore reserves up to 500 million tons, content useful component from 33 to 45%. In the western part of the region (Blagoveshchenka village, Alexandrovsky village) the Kulundinskaya iron ore area is located. Iron content 23-37%. Approximate ore reserves 55Ts110 billion tons.
Mercury. The Sarasinskaya mercury-bearing zone is located on the northwestern edge of the Altai Mountains. And within its borders are the Cheremshanskoye, Nochnoy Log, Sukhonkoye, and Lagernoye deposits.
Bauxite. Their deposits are geographically confined to Salair. In the Central part (in the upper reaches of the Berd River) there are the Berdsko-Maiskoye, Obukhovskoye, Oktyabrskoye and Novogodneye deposits. They have industrial significance, but are not exploited.
Tungsten. About 20 deposits are known. The Beloretskoye, Batunskoye, and Mulchikhinskoye fields are of practical interest.
Molybdenum. In the northwestern part of the Altai Mountains, the Talitskoye, Ognevoyamskoye, Plotbishchenskoye, Iskrovskoye, and Berezovskoye deposits are noted. The molybdenum content is low. The practical significance of the deposits is limited. Molybdenum is also found in tungsten deposits in the region.
Nickel. The Belininskoye, Aleksandrovskoye, Togulenok and Tyagunskoye deposits are known. The metal content in the ores is 0.5-1.1%. The deposits are not being developed.
Tin. There is a non-industrial Pervenets deposit in Rudny Altai. The average content is 0.17C0, 29%.
Brown coal. Its deposits are Mulnaiskoye, Novomulnaiskoye, Afoninskoye, Karaganskoye. The thickness of the layers is up to 4 m. Coal-bearing deposits have been traced in the Kulunda steppe. The forecast reserves of Ts are 130 billion tons, but according to the conditions of occurrence they are classified as off-balance sheet. In general, prospects for the industrial development of brown coal are limited.
Non-metallic and mineral raw materials
Mineral salts. In Kulunda, one of the largest salt-bearing areas in the country, there is a large number of drainless mineralized lakes, many of which contain bottom sediments of salts or industrial concentrations in brine. The exploitation of Kulunda salts began in 1768 (table salt from Lake Burlinsky). By the 90s of the XX century. The deposits of lakes Kuchuk, Kucherpak, Bolshoye Yarovoe, Burlinskoye and Petukhovskoye were developed.
Barite. Widely distributed in Rudny Altai as an accompanying mineral in polymetallic ores. From 1932 to 1967 it was extracted from dumps at the Zmeinogorsk deposit. Used in paint and varnish production.
Asbestos. In South Salair there is the Komsomolskoye deposit of four asbestos-bearing zones with a thickness of up to 60 m. Reserves are 897 thousand tons.
Talc. Occurrences and non-commercial deposits are known in Salair. In the area of the station. Tyagun there are small-sized Tyagun-Talovskoye and Anisimovskoye deposits. Talc can be used as a rubber filler. Due to the small size of the deposits, reserves were not calculated.
Piezo-optical raw materials. The massifs of its concentration are Tigirekskoye, Belokurikhinskoye, Savvushkinskoye.
Soviet Altai is located within the Altai Territory of the RSFSR and the East Kazakhstan Region. In the north, Altai is separated by a ledge from West Siberian Plain, in the southeast and east it directly touches the Mongolian Altai and Western Sayan, in the west it gradually decreases, acquiring within the Kazakh CCP the character of low mountains and small hills. The highest ridges (above 3200-4000 m) - Katunsky, North Chuysky and South Chuysky, etc., are located in the central and eastern part of the Soviet Altai and have a close to latitudinal strike; to the north the direction of the ridges changes to submeridional. Intermountain basins are widespread (Chuyskaya, Kuraiskaya, Uymenskaya, Kanskaya, etc.).
A powerful reservoir of atmospheric moisture, Altai is the center of significant mountain glaciation. More than 1,300 are known in the high ridges with total area about 900 km 2. The largest and high-water rivers: Katun, Bukhtarma, Chuya, Biya, Charysh. Veliki hydropower resources rivers (12-13 million kW). There are over 3,500 lakes (the largest are Teletskoye and Markakol). In Altai, soil and plant zones are clearly defined: mountain-steppe, mountain-forest and high-mountain. Steppe vegetation distributed up to an altitude of 500-600 m in the north and 1000-1500 m in the south. The forest belt up to an altitude of 1700-2000 meters occupies about 70% of the Altai territory. Fir, cedar-fir and larch forests predominate. In the high mountain zone, subalpine and alpine meadows, as well as mountain tundras, are common. The climate of Altai is moderate, sharply continental. average temperature January in high mountains from -26 to -30°C., July 13-14°C.
Minerals of Altai
Geological structure and minerals. Altai is one of the links; represents complex system, formed by strata that were intensively dislocated during the Caledonian and Hercynian eras of tectogenesis. Folded structures have a mainly southeast-northwest orientation. In post-Paleozoic times, folded and mountain structures were destroyed and turned into a denudation plain (peneplain).
Modern mountainous terrain Altai was formed as a result of the differentiated movement of individual blocks in and Quaternary times along numerous faults, which was accompanied by glaciation and intense erosional dissection.
Mountain Altai
By features geological structure Altai is divided into Mountain Altai and Southwestern Altai. The first, occupying the large, northeastern part of Altai (about 4/5 of its entire territory), is mainly a Caledonian folded structure, and the Southwestern Altai is Hercynian. Within the latter, zones are distinguished: Rudny Altai in the north-west and Southern Altai in the continuation to the south-east of Rudny Altai.
Some researchers attribute the Kalba zone to Altai, which joins in the west with the Ob-Zaisan folded system of Eastern Kazakhstan; it is formed by siliceous-shale series - the Lower Carboniferous, as well as terrigenous deposits of the Middle Carboniferous. Late Paleozoic species are widespread, incl. age. South-Western Altai is separated from the Kalba zone by the Irtysh deep fault, and from Gorny Altai by faults of the North-Eastern shear zone. Its structure involves sedimentary-volcanogenic deposits of the middle and Upper Devonian and terrigenous strata of the Lower Carboniferous, overlying unconformably on ancient (Lower Paleozoic) metamorphic; Granite massifs are widely developed (Leninogorsk, Zmeinogorsk, Kalbinsky complexes). The thickness and formational composition of sediments, as well as the nature of tectonic disturbances indicate the structure of Rudny Altai and the structure Southern Altai. In the Altai Mountains, several structural-formational zones of northwestern and submeriodal strike are distinguished.
Main tectonic structures (from west to east): Talitsky anticlinorium (Lower Paleozoic); in the south - the Kholzun-Chuya anticlinorium (Precambrian, Lower Paleozoic); to the east of the anticlinorium zone there is a large Anui-Chuya synclinorium with thick (up to 10 km) marine and continental Silurian and Devonian deposits geosynclinal-orogenic type. To the east, the Katun anticlinorium can be traced, in which uplifts of the Salair era of orogenesis, characteristic of the more eastern regions of the Altai-Sayan region, appeared. Even further east, the Uymen-Lebed trough (synclinorium) stands out, inheriting the strike of the folded structures of the Lower Paleozoic; its structure is generally similar to the structure of the Anuysk-Chuya synclinorium. The Chulyshman and Abakan anticlinoriums, located in the extreme east of the mountainous country, are characterized by their characteristics geological development more closely related to the Western Sayan and fold systems of Tuva.
All of the listed major tectonic structures are limited; The folded-block structure of the Altai Mountains is characterized by widespread development of lower orders. Many of them control the placement (for example, Salair granitoids in the Katun anticlinorium, Caledonian granitoids - mainly in the Chulyshman anticlinorium zone and Hercynian granitoids - in the structures of the central and western parts Gorny Altai, having great importance in the metallogeny of Altai). In accordance with the strike of the main geological-structural zones in Altai, several are distinguished (from east to west): mercury (Katun anticlinorium), molybdenum-tungsten and iron ore (Kholzun-Chuya anticlinorium), polymetallic Rudny Altai, tungsten-tin-copper Kalba zone.
Rudny Altai
The main wealth of the subsoil consists of polymetallic deposits of Rudny Altai (see map). They are localized in the area of Devonian volcanic strata and are closely related to them genetically, forming a family of lead-zinc-copper-barite pyrites of volcanogenic origin.
The main deposits of copper-lead-zinc ores: Korbalikhinskoe, Stepnoe, Talovskoe, Nikolaevskoe, Belousovskoe, Berezovskoe, etc.; deposits of lead-zinc ores; Ridder-Sokolnoye (Leninogorskoye), Zyryanovskoye, etc. Altai has long been famous for its rich and valuable deposits (, etc.). Four groups of outlets are associated with Cenozoic faults: Abakansky Arzhan, Belokurikha (south of Biysk), Rakhmanovsky and Dzhumalinsky springs.
History of mineral resource development
The oldest evidence of the use of stone for making tools dates back to the Paleolithic era (about 100-50 thousand years ago). In the 5th-4th millennium BC. mining began for the production of ceramic tableware. During the Copper and Bronze Age, Altai became one of the largest centers of metal smelting. The earliest copper ore workings presumably date back to the 3rd millennium BC. Mining operations acquired a special scope in the middle of the 2nd - 1st half of the 1st millennium BC. e., when most of the currently known copper, lead and tin deposits reaching the surface were developed: Ridder-Sokolnoye, Zolotushinskoye, Zyryanovskoye, etc.
Mostly oxidized ones were mined. Mining was carried out in Kazanchukur. Of particular importance for ancient metallurgy not only of Altai, but also huge territories North Asia, as well as Eastern Europe had Kalbinsky and Narymsky. Mining works in Bronze Age were carried out in a variety of ways: continuous open areas with mining of the richest areas of the deposits; (depth up to 30 m) with local excavation of mineral veins; (up to 70 m), also following the directions of the ore veins. Prokhodka hard rocks was carried out using "burning". Mining tools and tools for grinding ore were found: stone hammers, horn and bronze picks, picks, wedges. The adits were secured with wood. The ore was carried out in leather bags. Tree trunks with notches or branches left behind were used as ladders. There are also known places for smelting copper and tin ores (Kanai, Trushnikov). Products made from tin bronzes smelted in Altai are found in Kazakhstan, Western Siberia, Eastern Europe. The decline of copper and tin ore mining is expected in the Early Iron Age (end of the 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD). Apparently, development begins then iron ore deposits, although specific information about ancient mines is practically absent. Information about mining in Altai in the Middle Ages is equally scarce. The ancient miners left behind not only mining excavations, but also smelting pots and bronze tools. When excavating mounds in the valleys of pp. Bronze, silver and gold cups decorated with images of birds and animals were found in Katun, Charysh, Alei. Traces of mining activity of the ancient inhabitants of Altai have great help Russian settlers in search of ore.
In the 20s In the 18th century, ore miners of the Ural industrialist Altai discovered an ore deposit near Lake Kolyvan and founded the first Loktevsky (Kolyvano-Voskresensky) copper smelter in Altai, then the Barnaul and Shulbinsky copper plants appeared (1739-44). In 1736, the Zmeinogorsk deposit was discovered, from the ores of which they began to extract and. At the beginning of 1746, a decree was issued on the transfer of Altai mines and factories to the ownership of the royal family, and the settlement of Altai intensified. Despite the distance from industrial areas successfully developed in the Altai Mountain District. Village on the river Barnaulka, inhabited by artisans and miners, became in 1771 the city of Barnaul - the center of administration of the entire mountain district. In 1786, the Ridder deposit of polymetallic ores (lead, copper, gold, silver) was discovered, then silver and about 800 others, of which only a few dozen were developed. In the 1780s. silver and gold production has reached largest sizes. By order of Catherine II, a grinding factory was founded at the old Loktevsky copper smelter. By the beginning of the 19th century. Altai took 1st place in Russia in the mining and smelting of lead and silver. Silver was exported to St. Petersburg, and from copper, from the 18th century, “Siberian” and later all-Russian small change coins were minted at the Suzunsky plant. The level of mining technology of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. did not yet allow the development of complex polymetallic ores with closely intergrown small grains of sulfur ore minerals. In the Altai mines (including the richest Ridderovsky) only fusible oxidized ores of the upper zones were mined, after which development ceased.
Altai researchers
The beginning of the study of Altai by Russian scientists dates back to the 1st half of the 18th century. D. visited Altai in 1721, in 1734, and in 1771. Geological research by P. A. Chikhachev (1842), G. E. Shurovsky (1844) and engineers of the Mining Department contributed to the expansion mineral resource base metallurgical plants of Altai. The first Altai on a scale of about 1:1,000,000 was compiled by Chikhachev and published in 1845 in Paris. After peasant reform 1861 Mining in Altai began to decline. The tsarist government granted concessions to a number of mining enterprises and factories. At the beginning of the 20th century. important scientific results were obtained thanks to geological research, V.K. Katulsky, P.P. Pilipenko and other geologists, however, until the October Revolution of 1917, mining in Altai continued to remain at a low level. IN Soviet time A comprehensive and planned study of the entire territory of Altai began. Scientific expeditions with the participation of V. P. Nekhoroshev, M. K. Korovin, M. A. Usov, N. I. Gornostaev, B. F. Speransky, K. V. Radugin, V. A. Kuznetsov, M V. Muratov, D. I. Gorzhevsky, G. F. Yakovlev and others.
Mining
Planned searches and exploration led to the discovery of a number of new deposits of non-ferrous and rare metal ores, gold, non-ferrous and ornamental stones, and non-metallic minerals, which revived the mining industry of the area. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, Altai turned into a powerful economic region with a highly developed mining industry. Medium-scale mining has been carried out almost throughout the entire territory, and large-scale mining has been carried out in mining areas. Hundreds of mineral deposits and ore occurrences have been identified.
Modern Altai as a geological and structural unit occupies three large economic regions of the CCCP: Kazakhstan, West Siberian and partially East Siberian. The deposits of Altai, diverse in type, quality and scale, serve as the basis for complex mining and processing industry. The Ust-Kamenogorsk lead-zinc, Leninogorsk polymetallic, Irtysh polymetallic, Belogorsk mining and processing, and Zyryanovsk lead plants operate on the basis of Altai deposits. Slavgorodsky operates on the basis of Kulunda salts Chemical plant, Kuchuksky sulfate and Mikhailovsky soda plants, Burlinsky salt mine. The Aktash mine is in operation. On the basis of mineral resources, metalworking, mechanical engineering, and the non-metallic building materials industry (PA Altaistroymaterialy) have developed.
Altai's energy sector is based on coal, as well as hydropower pp. Ob, Biya, Katun and Charysh. The main energy producers are the Ust-Kamenogorsk and Bukhtarma hydroelectric power stations (on the Irtysh). Large mining and processing plants have turned into economic centers and industrial concentration hubs (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Leninogorsk, etc.), around which auxiliary (components) and new production facilities are formed. The main mining regions of Altai: South Altai (copper, gold, mercury, lead, zinc), Rudno-Altai (lead, zinc, copper, barite), Gorno-Altai (mercury, tungsten, gold), Kulundinsky (salts, sulfates) . Mineral building materials are mined in almost all areas. Many types mineral raw materials used for cladding buildings and various crafts (marble, jasper, augite rocks, gypsum).